Easy Peasy Caprese Salad
You know, living here in the Canaries has it’s advantages. (duh! lol) I love the fresh local produce that abounds in the produce markets, and whatever the season, we’ve always got fresh oranges, lemons, avocados, pineapples, kiwis, tomatoes, zucchini, and a number of others. One thing that hasn’t caught on so much here is the concept of fresh herbs (apart from parsley, cilantro and spearmint)…My neighborhood vendor normally has fresh basil and arugula (not so common around here!), but this week, the basil was looking a little sickly. Bummer for me, because I have been seriously craving Caprese salad to accompany one of the many barbecues we’ve been having lately. You see, my dear hubs is on vacation, and our regular schedule is a bit out of whack. Don’t get me wrong, it’s completely awesome having him home instead of never seeing hide nor hair of him! lol Just that we’ve been veering off of the beaten path of routine. Alvaro *loves* grilling, so we’ve been doing a lot of that while he’s home, and frankly, I haven’t pulled out the camera or food set-up stuff to share what’s been gracing our table very much. Besides, Alvaro likes to hog the computer! LOL ;) So, anyway, back to the salad. Yesterday we grilled some steaks and potatoes, and I was hell bent on having my Caprese salad. I have to admit, the fresh basil is crucial. It wasn’t as good with dried, even though I let it marinate for about an hour, but, even so, it was still good, so I’ll share it. Vine ripened tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella really make the difference, too. I’m thinking that the next time I make a Caprese, I’m going to really go wild and use vine ripened cherry tomatoes, and chop up the motz and shred some fresh basil…a wild and crazy chopped up Caprese. Because that’s what this world needs. Fo reelz. Seriously, this is SUCH an easy salad for any meal, I wholly recommend it. But get fresh basil. I’m just sayin. 
Recipe is here: http://canarygirl.com/?p=162
Wine recommendation: Because of the vinegar, I'm not sure which wine would be best with this...I had Pinot Grigio and it was good, but the vinegar tends to compete with the wine. What do you think?
